Another Lifetime to go

21st December 2020

My Christmas doldrums continue, I did a lot of paint stripping from a dresser top and finished sanding the two side table carcasses.

I cleared some of the area in the garage so that I didn’t walk into things and knock tools on to the floor.

I fitted the repaired drawers into the dresser and tweaked them so they moved smoothly.

Kelli wanted to collect some dried elderberry for the syrup she makes. For this we had to drive to Zeeland, and it was my job to collect the package from the fridge positioned on the porch.

I got a little confused because there were bags on the top of the fridge that I thought was the dried elderberry packs, and I didn’t take my glasses, so it definitely was the blind leading the blind.

When I got back to the truck Kelli put me right, the bag was just part of the seller’s Christmas decorations, and the mixture was on the inside of the fridge. Of Course I knew that, honestly,

Whilst we were out both Goodwills were on the schedule.

Furniture was thin on the ground, nothing to get excited, but we are alway on the lookout for anything. Even the rude Santa had gone, it had either been bought, or arrested for lewd conduct.

A couple more stops, then we drove back to more sanding and staining into the night.

20th December 2020

We carried the finished buffet into the living area to take pictures, well it was not quite finished, as the top only had a sealing coat on it as it took a long time to dry.

I work on the principle that buyers usually pick things up a couple of days later, so if someone wants to pick it up this afternoon I’ll shit myself.

Getting the dresser out of the truck was easier than I thought, seeing it in daylight displayed the true artistic merits of the child or talented monkey that had the piece before.

The actual material was solid pine or similar softwood so it should be easy to work with.

I volunteered to walk along to the corner shop to pick up a few essentials. I dressed up with my warm coat, scarf and hat, it was dark so no one could see me. My stride was brisk and my mind was thinking about Christmas, and all things seasonal when three quarters of the way I realised that I had forgotten my mask.

“Damn and blast” I uttered, turning round and speed walking all the way back.

I burst through the door in a rage, my face as red as Santa’s hat, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door again. Kelli was confused, and I didn’t have a lot of breath left to explain.

I returned to the shop, struggling to put my mask on with my hat covering my ears. Luckily the shape of my head is perfect for allowing my hat to slide up an balance on the top of my head.

I grabbed a basket and wandered around collecting the goods. At one point I had to put my glasses on which require them to fit over my ears where my mask is hooked around with my hat balancing on top. I was also holding a basket meaning I was trying to do it one handed. Needless to say everything fell off including my mask, I was vulnerable to infection so that was the first thing to go back on, then I threaded my glasses on and balanced my hat on top. Of course all this activity made me hot and steamed up my glasses, there was also a build up of heat inside my masks. I had to then rush round to finish my shop and get out into the fresh air.

I gasped at the cold air hitting my mask-less face. My walk back was a little more laboured as I was now carrying a heavy load, but I made it back. Kelli looked at me, laughing at the sight she saw before her. My hat was still perched on the top of my head like I was hiding a parrot.

At least it was dark.

19th December 2020

Dhama took her food for a walk around the kitchen again, she can cover ten to twenty feet per feed. If it were an Olympic event she would get gold.

We finished another dresser with graded stained drawer fronts, dragged it into the house, took pictures, and straight on Market place. Kelli was busy painting a buffet, I was frustrated that the top was taking an age to dry, I was hoping to get that finished for tomorrow.

All around the garage are things that are in progress, either glueing or filler that is hardening, this makes navigating a path through very tricky. Kelli hears me knocking things over, it has become a joke in the same way that I leave dusty finger marks over everything I touch. I could never be a burglar, because the police could just follow the trail of sawdust to where I was hiding.

I was just getting ready for a shower when Kelli announced that we had to pick up a dresser.

We drove of into the night relying on the GOS in Kelli’s phone to guide us. The first address it took us to was completely wrong, the next a little more promising, but it was a static home park.

Urban planning in the US was so logical, a grid system following the rule of the compass made so much sense. But when it comes to mobile homes those rules go completely out the window. It must have taken us twenty minutes to find the address.

We found the dresser under a tarpaulin close to the steps leading into the mobile home. It was a pine piece covered with childlike scribble. There were a number of illuminated inflatable Christmas decorations. I guess they needed the money for the dresser to pay for the extra electric they were using.

18th December 2020

The highlight of the day was delivering a dresser to Zeeland which doesn’t say much for the rest of the day.

Maybe there is a psychological slow down towards Christmas although two more pieces are nearing completion, there is a distinct lack of motivation at the moment.

Holland looks wonderful at this time of year with the street decorations, although there are not many people about to enjoy them.

We stopped off at Menards on the way home to pick up a new pot for the latest addition to our plant collection. Some new dirt and fertiliser completed the treatment, now we just wait for the new growth to appear.

Greer continues to feel sick, although she has had two tests that were negative, it is not uncommon for a third to be positive.

We have decided to cancel the Christmas Eve present swap party outside by the fire, there are too many unknowns from the family to risk getting together.

17th December 2020

I had thought that I would have heard from the USCIS by now. It has been four months since I last had some communication, where I was requested to have a medical.

Kelli follows various immigration lawyers on social media so she contacted one of them and asked them how long the process takes.

Their response said that it usually takes at least a year from acceptance of the application. Bearing in mind my application was accepted in April/May I would expect to have to wait until then.

There is alway work in the garage to keep me busy, plenty of drawers to finish, with a couple of dressers to get completed by the weekend.

We went out to buy our Christmas food from Aldi. It was great to be able to get all the German foods I remember from my childhood.

The great event of the year was getting a parcel from my grandparents with biscuits, cakes and sausages, it was like winning the lottery.

I want to have a German influenced Christmas dinner this year, although there won’t be meat, we will have as many vegetables, including red cabbage which is fabulous, I could eat it on its own. I have mulled wine and gingerbread for the evening treat.

I decided to treat Kelli to a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, but they also do a vegan version made with almond milk.

We stopped of at a liquor store and they had a bottle. I put it on the counter next to the register and the girl scanned it and said “That’s $27” I nearly fell over. I refrained from giving them my stock answer of “No, I only want one, not a box” but instead I handed over the money thinking “She’s worth it, after all it’s Christmas”

We stopped off at Cameron’s workplace to drop off some sweets and Kelli spotted another plant that she had missed when she rescued the nearly dead plants. This one was taking its last breaths as well.

She jumped into action ordering him to bring it to the truck, we then drove home to give it some life saving water and to remove the dead leaves.

It looked a lot healthier after a good soak, it just needs repotting and by this time next year it could take over the world.

16th December 2020

The customer picked up the dresser at six in the morning. There was never any chance that we would be awake at that time, so we wrapped it in a sheet and left it outside close to the garage.

Sure enough when we looked out, once it was light, it was gone and the sheet left on the ground. It looked a magician’s disappearing trick where all that was left was the sack.

We also learned, as soon as Kelli turned on he phone that we had sold another dresser that had been hanging around for more time than Kelli was happy with, and was within a day of being repainted.

We off loaded the large white buffet that we had been driving around with for the last two days. Kelli was excited, muttering “cool” at every opportunity.

It is quite an old piece with a bit of character, and plenty of things to do to make it really “cool”

We had a bit of a shock this evening when Greer called to tell us that she was having a Covid test as she was feeling unwell and had lost her sense of smell and taste. She works in a rehabilitation hospital in Grand Rapids, not necessarily a hot bed of infection, but I would give any hospital a really wide birth at this time. Fortunately the result was negative, a huge relief, but a reality check of what could happen by not taking precautions.

15th December 2020

As soon as we awoke there was activity on the two pieces Kelli posted last night.

Questions were asked,and then there usually is silence as was the case, but as the morning went on the questions kept coming.

“Would you take less” is the favourite, and often we cave in and take a lower amount.

This time my response was “We made it less, we’ve taken the bloody doors off” of course Kelli would never say that. By the afternoon both pieces had sold, and Kelli’s swollen head was lording above me in that “ I am good” manner.

I painfully accepted her accolade muttering to myself that I should never, never doubt her again.

Finally after many months, the men came to cut two heating vents in the sunroom wall. This has become more urgent since Kelli seems to collect sad plants that look like they’re on their last legs. The latest addition were some she rescued from Cameron’s workplace. She has assumed the mantle of plant saver for America. The sunroom is full of these green orphans in various stages of re-growth, a kind of intensive care unit for plants.

We needed to get some heat into the sunroom otherwise the cold would destroy our specimens.

The two chaps seemed to know what they were doing, one even going into the crawl space, but soon it was done, so it will be interesting to see if it works. This by the way was another of Kelli’s ideas, I just pay for it.

The heavy bastard was collect this evening, leaving a big gap in the garage, never mind, there’s another in the truck to unload tomorrow.

14th December 2020

It was an important day in the election calendar, the day when the votes are cast in the electoral college. I used to think there was an actual college, but it refers to a group of delegates from each state who actually vote for the president. It is an ass about face system based on the belief that normal Americans are too stupid to be trusted with the task of voting in a presidential candidate.

As that is still true today as it was when the republic was formed over two hundred years ago, I guess it works.

I never have any reason to doubt any of Kelli’s ideas because she has shown me too often that her ideas are correct. I will often roll my eyes when she explains her proposal because it usually means more work for less return.

We have been sitting on “The heavy bastard” for about four days, and to Kelli warning sirens are wailing because no one has jumped on it, my response is to give it a bit of time, the right customer will find it. That is not good enough, if questions do not flood in within twenty four hours something is not right.

Today was that day. She reduced the price on Sunday, but now it was “Take the doors off”.

Her thoughts were the doors date it to the 1980’s. With a screwdriver at the ready the doors were off, but we needed more pictures for a revised post.

With a Herculean effort we struggled into the house with this monster and re-shot the pictures.

Then we had to carry it back to the garage.

I had serious doubts that this would make it more saleable.

The garage is full of pieces gradually coming together hopefully giving us a good monthly total.

We dragged a small dresser into the house to get pictures, the top was still tacky, but it was important to post it today.

13th December 2020

We drove to an address in Allendale (yes, once again we found ourselves in this Trump infested cess pool) Kelli had found a dresser on Marketplace that had been reduced in price, always a welcoming sight.

Finding the place was difficult fooling the GPS like so many places we’ve tried to find.

Eventually, driving down a dirt track we came across Steptoe’s yard. It was a mess of old cars and junk piled high. We were a bit apprehensive at first, but the man of the house welcomed us inside where the dresser was located. We both donned our masks and followed him inside. The kitchen looked liked a bomb had exploded, two small dogs ran around getting under my feet as I was trying to manoeuvre the dresser into a position to grab hold and move it outside, to the truck.

Talking to the chap we learned that they were clearing the place out to sell, and to move to somewhere a lot smaller. Judging by the crap inside and out, they will be doing that for several months to come.

Next stop was a place in Zeeland to collect two cabinet doors. I have no idea what we are going to do with them, that will be down to my wife and her creativity.

It had snowed during the night, so waking up to a thin blanket of snow was wonderful.

We did a little work in the garage when we got back, mainly getting a couple of small dressers ready to sell next week.

In the evening we added decorations to our small Christmas tree whilst listening to classic seasonal songs.

I try to spend a little time reading in the sunroom, it’s my rest and relaxation period, a perfect time for a cup of tea and a biccy.

12th December 2020

We had a customer due at 11.00am this morning to collect an ottoman that Kelli had posted last night.

She had found it at Goodwill, but it didn’t have any legs. We had driven to Grand Rapids to collect some that were on Marketplace, so a coat of paint later they were fitted, and looked good.

I had to cut them down a bit so they were a better height, but that’s about all we did to it.

Kelli had looked on line and found an identical one had been sold for four hundred dollars. There was no way we could get that sort of money from the tight wads around Holland, so we put it on for one fifty.

There was a bit of interest, but no firm offers except for one who offered a hundred.

I said we should counter offer but Kelli decided to take the offer as the investment in the piece was small.

When the customer arrived she was a little old lady who looked at it cautiously, asking a number of questions. I was looking around for a lump of wood to possibly hit her with because her attitude was begging to annoy me. As the scrutiny continued I was hoping that she would pass, because the thought of letting her have it for fifty off offended me.

Unfortunately she decided to take it even though she didn’t like the leg colour.

“Get over it, you old witch” my mind was screaming.

Then the rest of the day was stripping and staining.

Kelli was painting another dresser carcass giving us another two to start the week with.

It was a gloomy day with rain falling, the dogs don’t like going out in it, and likewise I don’t like it when they come back inside as I have to wipe their paws to stop mud getting on the wood floor.